Necessity is the mother of invention.
Sometimes, the most challenging aspect is finding what exactly that necessity is. When that necessity is brought to fruition by innovative minds, it is then brought to the attention of industry leaders.

This, more or less, is the prototypical pattern of success for small companies and startups that go from the minors to majors overnight.

Below are three examples of former startups who were acquired by industry behemoths, against all odds.